“537. VEILS AND WRAPPERS—ISAIAH 3:20-23”

Veils and Wrappers—Isa_3:20-23

In resuming the consideration of the curious particulars furnished in the third chapter of Isaiah, respecting the dress and ornaments of the Hebrew ladies, we come next to what our translators have rendered “ear-rings,” but which is now generally allowed to be nothing of the kind, but rather small caskets containing charms or amulets. To the use of such things among the Orientals, we had occasion to refer not more than two days ago. Those to which the text refers, probably contained (unless the women were idolaters) texts of Scriptures, just as the Moslems employ passages from the Koran for the same purpose. Those worn by women are made to serve as ornaments, by being enclosed in small cases of chased gold or silver, and are commonly worn at the right side, being suspended from a silken cord, or a chain passed over the left shoulder. They are sometimes worn at the neck or bosom, or around the head, and frequently two or more are attached to the same string. That the Hebrews were greatly addicted to the like superstition, is allowed by their own writers.

Caskets for Amulets

The “rings” require no explanation, except to remark the curious fact that no finger-rings appear in any of the Assyrian sculptures that have yet been found, though rings appear upon the great toes, of some kings and other high personages; and the “nose-jewels” have already been explained. Note: Morning Series: Ninth Week—Friday. What “the changeable suits of apparel” (one word in the original) denotes, we can collect from Zec_3:3-4, where the same word describes rich and costly garments, worn only on special occasions, as contrasted with the humbler garb employed for ordinary wear.

Eastern Lady in full dress

The idea of their being changed or changeable, probably refers to the practice of taking them off or changing them, to prevent them from being tarnished, when the occasions for their use had passed. If the term refers to any single article of dress, it is probably the gown. Those among ladies of quality are often very costly indeed, being of rich figured silks and satins, and were anciently, doubtless, of the richest stuffs that could be procured. The term has suggested “shot silk” to some; but there is no evidence that silk was anciently used in Western Asia; for it is not agreed that the word translated “silk” in Pro_31:22, has really that meaning.

Indoor Mantle

The women having comparatively little under-clothing, frequently wore, in-doors, over the gown, a long pelisse or mantle, made of cloth, silk, or velvet; and some such article as this, we suppose, to be the “mantle” which the prophet names among the articles of female attire.

Outdoor Dress with Hood

What our translators meant to indicate by the now obsolete word “wimples,” is probably as unintelligible to most readers as would be the original Hebrew term. A wimple was a sort of hood, which fitted to the head, and came down behind, to near the small of the back, covering also the shoulders. The descending part of this hood distinguished it as a wimple. Thus, Spencer describes his Una as shading her beauty

“Under a veil that wimpled was full low.”

Such wimples, or descending hoods, are still worn by nuns, and form the ordinary out-door dress (in lieu of bonnet and shawl) in the south of Italy and Malta, and are generally of black silk. Something of the kind is worn, in place of a more ample envelope, by the Arabian peasant females.

Outdoor Mantles

We do not however, think that this kind of article correctly represents the original, which appears rather to indicate the ample enveloping robe in which the Easterns shroud their persons when they go abroad. It is much like, and nearly as capacious as a sheet. It is white, black, striped, or plaided—different colors and patterns prevailing in different localities; and they are of costly or cheap material—silk or cotton—according to the circumstances of the wearer. Being thrown over the head, and fastened thereto by a ribbon secured inside, this mantle falls to the ground, and, with the face veil, completely envelops the whole person. The word here is, in fact, the same in the original as that which denotes “the veil” in which Ruth took away six measures of barley from the threshing-floor of Boaz. Under this outer wrapper ladies often wore a capacious silk robe (called tob) with long and loose sleeves, which, in coarser materials, often serves the females of lower rank for an external walking garment.

The Tob, or Outer Wrapper

“Crisping-pins,” to which we next come, is a strange translation of the same word which is rendered “bag” in 2Ki_5:23. A purse seems to be intended in both places. By this, we are to understand a richly ornamented purse or small bag, which the women wore attached to the girdle, to serve them for a pocket. They are usually made of silk, wrought with threads of silver and gold. Some say, that those of the Hebrew women were of metal, sometimes of pure gold, and fashioned like a cone, with borders of rich cloth at the top; but we know not on what authority this statement rests.

Ancient Egyptian Metallic Mirrors

The “glasses” were not “looking-glasses,” as some would suppose. They were, however, small mirrors, but made of highly polished metal, which the women employed at the toilet, and sometimes wore as articles of ornament and use. This custom is very ancient indeed, for we read in Exo_38:8, that in the wilderness the women gave their mirrors to form the brass plates for the external covering of the great altar. It is known that the ancient Egyptians used mirrors of this sort, and actual specimens, as well as representations of them, have been found. Bishop Lowth, and some others, however, think that not mirrors but transparent garments are meant. That such dresses existed, is shown by the fact that in the Egyptian paintings women are often seen arrayed in dresses through which the outline of the person is distinctly visible, and which, therefore, of whatever material composed, must have been as transparent as the finest muslin, we had almost said as crape.

The “fine linen” is, in the original, the same word which is translated “sheets” in Jdg_14:12-13, and which, there as here, we take to mean the innermost article of dress, shirts or shifts, which were probably made of what was then considered fine linen. Indeed, our translators have put “shirts” in the margin of the text just indicated. Dr. Henderson sanctions this view by translating here by “linen shifts.” It is likely that the wearing of this garment at all was a distinction of persons in good circumstances, and that, as is now often the case, the poorer classes were content, for constant wear, with a woollen robe in winter, and one of coarse linen in summer.

Next we come to “hoods,” which have somewhat perplexed interpreters. Many translate the word by “turbans;” but they also render the “bonnets” of Isa_3:20, by “tires,” and allow them to be head-dresses, and head-dresses are turbans; so this makes us have the same thing twice over, which is more than we want. Some who attempt to provide for it, confound in a strange manner the different articles of Arabian attire of which they have read, but with which they possess no practical acquaintance. We venture to suggest, that the term may denote a species of head-dress which is still seen among the Arabian nations. It consists of a large handkerchief or shawl, or piece of linen or cotton (usually black or of some dark color, but white in some localities,) which is wound round the head, and falls over the neck and shoulders, the ends or corners being brought round in front to cover the throat and bosom, and generally the lower part of the face to the tip of the nose—being, in fact, the ordinary veil of the class of women by whom it is used—such, chiefly, as are engaged in active employments, to which this offers less impediment than any other kind of veil. It is, perhaps, taken as a whole, what our translators must have had in view by the “wimple” of a previous verse.

The “veils” which we next reach seem to be the only remaining veil which has not been noticed. This is a kind of head veil which ladies wear at home, and which, not being intended for concealment of the features, rests upon the head and falls down over the back. It is of very light texture, being usually a long strip of muslin, embroidered with threads of colored silk and gold, forming altogether one of the most graceful articles in the female attire of the East. A black veil of this sort becomes an external article of dress when the tob, already mentioned, is used as an outer robe.

Indoor and Back Veils

The phrase in Isa_3:24, “Instead of a girdle, a rent,” is scarcely correct. It means, that instead of such elegant shawl girdles as women of quality wore, there shall be a common girdle of cord or twisted wool, such as was in use among the poor countrywomen.

The “well set hair” of the same verse reminds us how elaborately the hair was anciently braided among the Egyptian ladies, as shown by the figures on the monuments, and such was doubtless the case among the women of Syria and Palestine, of whom we possess no corresponding representations. The figures which we give here illustrate some of the other details in these papers, especially as regards the ornaments of the head, the neck, and the arms.

Egyptian Ladies with braided Hair

Autor: JOHN KITTO